Just days after saying he would continue to face fines from the NFL for wearing his cleat of choice, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is changing direction slightly, and meeting the league in the middle.
Williams, who faces fines of nearly $12,000 a week for wearing an unauthorized logo, instead showed up Monday in all-black cleats with no visible logo. Williams debuted logo-less cleats on his way to leading the Bears to the Seattle Seahawks.
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After the game, Williams said he wore cleats because he didn’t want the media attention to be a distraction.
“Just to calm things down,” he said when asked why he changed his cleats. “It’s a big week and I’m not here to create any BS towards the team, I want to keep that to a minimum from my side. Obviously I get a lot of media, and so just trying to minimize that as much as possible.”
Caleb Williams opted for matte black cleats with no logo to avoid fines from the NFL. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers via Getty Images)
Williams wears cleats made by Caddix, a company that says it designs cleats to help reduce ACL and ankle injuries, based on the way the studs release faster and limit the torque associated with those injuries. Williams doesn’t have an endorsement deal with the company, but he says he believes in the science behind them.
However, the NFL has a long-standing partnership with Nike, and players are not allowed to wear gear from other sportswear brands. Williams was reportedly fined $11,941 after both Week 6 and Week 7 for wearing Caddix cleats, which the league deemed displayed an “unauthorized logo.”
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Last week, Williams said he would continue to wear the cleats throughout the season, risking a significant number of fines from the league. Williams also wore the brand in Week 1 and Week 2 as well, before missing time with a hamstring injury, but he’s only been fined for the past two weeks.
Monday’s cleats, which Williams described as “matte black,” appear to be a compromise.
While Williams isn’t the only player to wear Caddix cleats, he’s been the most high-profile wearer thanks to ongoing fines. It’s unclear if the NFL will decide to let his shoe choices rest, given this compromise.
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If he is fined, however, he’ll have some help: Caddix CEO Jack Rasmussen has offered to pay Williams’ fines, and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and longtime Caddix wearer Joe Flacco also told ESPN he’ll pay any fines Williams receives.